Looking for value from Napa Valley wines

Napa Valley has evolved over the years to become the North American equivalent to classified growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy, which is to say very good and very expensive. The battered Canadian dollar has only exasperated the situation, compounded further by a relatively robust American economy (for now anyway).

Canada is an important market for U.S. wines but the smaller to mid-sized producers can sell everything they make in the U.S., especially with the proliferation of the big box chains. In addition, wineries can now ship direct to customers in every state except Utah and as such smaller wineries can sell their entire production to their mailing list if need be. That being said, there is an amazing cross-section of premium wine from Napa Valley in our market because many producers don’t like to put all their eggs in one basket, and it helps build brand loyalty to get exposure in foreign markets.

Despite our tough economy and robust pricing, Napa Valley wines still sell very well here, so I have put together a short list of some of my current favourites. While far from being cheap, they offer good value relative to the heavy hitters from Napa, many of which are now well over the $200-a-bottle price point.

Chappellet Mountain Cuvee 2014 – $58

Owner Cyril Chappellet was in town a few weeks ago showing a range of wines that rival many of the heavy hitters from Napa for considerably less dough. Cyril’s parents purchased their land in 1967 long before anyone knew where Napa was headed. The property they choose was up on Pritchard Hill, an area that is now home to such iconic names as Colgin, Bryant Family, David Arthur, Ovid and Continuum. It’s also an area the Wine Spectator calls the Rodeo Drive of Napa Valley. The Mountain Cuvee is a Bordeaux-style blend made from fruit from its own vineyards along with some purchased fruit from other mountain sites. I have always found that Napa’s mountain vineyards deliver some of the most interesting and personality-driven wines in the valley and this wine is no exception. It shows lots of spicy red fruit notes with some vanilla-oak and cocoa, a great bottle to share with a steak.

Chappellet Mountain Cuvee 2014. -

Black Stallion Napa Valley Cabernet 2013 – $41

Here is a solid Napa Valley Cab from the Oak Knoll district that offers up blackberry, mocha and licorice flavours with a surprising amount of grip for a wine at this price point. With some red meat to keep it company and perhaps a short decant, the wine is perfectly drinkable now but it will continue to improve for a few more years yet. It’s a nice cellar candidate that won’t break the bank.

Black Stallion Napa Valley Cabernet 2013.Calgary Herald

Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet 2015 – $30

Louis M. Martini, like Chappellet, is one of the most historic names in Napa who — for better or worse — sold to the Gallo empire in 2002. Ownership aside, this wine remains one of the true bargain Cabernets coming out of the valley. It is soft and polished with notes of cassis, tobacco, spice with a whiff of new oak. Burgers, ribs and other delicious meaty things would go nicely with this perennial bargain.

Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet 2015. -

Chappellet Napa Valley Chardonnay 2014 – $53

I find most Napa Valley Chardonnay a bit oakey and heavy handed for my taste, but his one sees a small amount of new oak and delivers a big core of stone fruits, slate-like minerality and tropical fruit salad. Can you call a $53 bottle of wine a bargain? Considering it would hold its own among bottles of Napa Chard costing two or three times as much — and there are lots of those — I would say it is. For a special occasion, try it with lobster, tuna or a crown roast of pork.

Geoff last is a long-time Calgary wine merchant, writer and broadcaster and a regular contributor to City Palate Magazine and other publications. He instructs on food and wine at the Cookbook Company Cooks and was recently awarded a fellowship to the Symposium of Professional Wine Writers based in Napa Valley.

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